Getting outdoors with Kettler + Win a Go-Cart

Anything that encourages children to get outdoors and step away from screens is a good thing in my books, especially activities that captivate my active boys attention span for longer than a few minutes. So when the people at Kettler got in touch to see if my boys would like to put one of their fantastic Go-carts to the test we of course jumped at the opportunity. It also brought back a lot of memories from my own childhood when my mother built a wooden go-cart for my brother and I. We spent many summers riding down hills in our wooden go-cart, yes there may have been a few scrapes and falls but we had so much fun and its lovely to see a more modern take on the wooden one I once had. My boys have been trying out the Daytona Air which fits them both really well despite there being a 4.5yr age gap, thanks to adjustable the seat which is a great feature and perfect for us because I have to be honest and say I was a little nervous we would have an issue with sharing or w......

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Covering the bases with Bassetts

While both of my boys enjoy a well balanced diet, packed with fruit and veg and are fairly open minded to trying new things, we are a very busy and active family and always on the go and while I always cook from scratch when we are rushed we sometimes opt for the safer meals such as pesto pasta or baked potatoes that are quick to whip up and I know they will enjoy. On more organised weeks or when we are not travelling I like to explore with new dishes, some have great success and other times not so much as my eldest can be fussy at times and while my youngest isn't he tends to follow suit with whatever his big brother is doing. Like most parents I take an interest in my children's nutritional intake and want to know I have all bases covered and there are times when we have hardly been at home between school, after-school activities and weekend breaks away. The trouble with kids is finding a multivitamin that tastes nice and isn't a chore to get them to take and can easi......

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Tips on Surviving long layovers with kids

Long layovers, the stuff of nightmares when your travelling with young children. While children are very adaptable there are still certain scenarios that just are not great and unlike adults they don't have the ability to "power" through especially when tired and bored. Now layovers don't just happen in Airports but also train stations, bus stations, ferry ports - we have experiences them all (10hr delay for a ferry, 8hrs wait for an overnight train etc) and while as parents we always look to reduce waiting times, sometimes we just have to accept long connections and be prepared for that. Having done long-haul travel from a very young age as we lived in Cape Town as my father was South African and my mother Welsh, it meant travelling to the UK every two years or so and then often on to Europe as well. Having spent hours in airports and sleeping overnight on couches in a few has equipped me well for travelling with my own kids and I thought I would share some ti......

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7 Simple Ways to Celebrate Autumn as a Family

Autumn is such a wonderful time of the year and offers up a lot of fun activities to do with children and as a family. However it's very easy to get caught up in the commercialisation of every seasonal holiday and also with Christmas on the horizon it can feel very manic as well as expensive but it really needn't be. In fact Autumn is the perfect time to slow down, recalibrate and reconnect with the people that mean the most to you as well as move forward towards Christmas feeling more balanced.  So I thought I would share a few easy ways to celebrate Autumn with kids for free, or very little as some of the suggestions do require basic ingredients but none of what I have shared should cost more than £2. 1. Head out on a Hike or Walk in the Woods Don't underestimate the power of fresh air and Autumn is the perfect time get outside as much as possible before it gets too cold so head to your local country park or woodlands and take in all those beautiful autumnal c......

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Small Gifts for the Modern Millennial

Millennials, we cover a pretty wide age range, even though I have kids I still fit into the Millennial generation and while I cannot talk for everyone the way we navigate this digital world is far different to our parents era and therefore our needs are different. Many of us live life on the go, we live more for today and like to enjoy the things we can afford like brunch and coffee (as cliches as that is), as a generation many of us are also thinking more ethically, we want to support local business, be more sustainable and travel a little more. Also personally I find when it comes to gifts I want them to be meaningful or practical and here is a little gift guide for the digital millennial. 1. In a world where we are trying to cut out plastic as much as possible these two gifts are perfect for eating and drinking on the go as well as look stylish and dear I say Instagrammable. I am loving the stainless steel Black + Blum thermal food flask which keeps lunch both hot o......

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3 things to know about moving abroad

Having lived in more than one country and having moved from South Africa over to Europe more than a Decade ago and then also living in Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Nice and now Cardiff I know the stress and excitement of moving to another country and thought I'd share with you some of the things you may experience if your thinking of changing location.  While moving abroad may seem scary enough, you’re going to have a lot on your hands in terms of planning and preparations. You certainly don’t have to do all of this, though, but it will make your life a lot easier if you manage to take care of it before you head off. That way, you can simply relax and enjoy your adventure once you land - or at least have time to spend on being a bit anxious and nervous about everything. Here is a handful of the most important things you should take care of or look into before saying goodbye to your loved ones back home, plus a few of the things you should know beforehand so that you’re not tak......

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Why you should consider going away for Christmas

Christmas, I'm already starting to break out into a sweat thinking about it. Having grown up as part of a expat family in South Africa our Christmas's were usually very small, with only immediate family on the day and possibly heading to some friends for a party on boxing day but always fairly calm and spent outdoors as the festive period fell during our summer time. Even when we did fly over to the UK every 3yrs or so it was still a small gathering and as children it never made any difference to us where in the world we spent Christmas as long as it was with family. We of course had gifts but growing up we were never over indulged like children are now and I do think we are forgetting what the festive season is meant to be about. My childhood experiences are completely different to the now which has become very manic especially having kids and trying to divide time between two sets of in-laws and to be completely honest I feel exhausted just by the thought as it always ......

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How to Tell that You Need More than a DIY Decoration Project

We would all love to say that we found the perfect home for our needs, but the fact is that families and circumstances change. There are some surefire signs that your current home is no longer serving you, and in this case you will need much more than a simple DIY decoration project. Decide whether or not you can turn your old home into something you can be proud of by renovating it. Find a few tips below. Your Home Is No Longer Making You Happy If you don’t walk through the front door every day with a smile on your face, looking forward to having a chat with your family members and relaxing on the sofa or reading a book, there might be something wrong with your decor and the functionality of your home, too. If you can’t get a separate space for relaxation and all family members struggle to do what they enjoy, you might need to talk to professional Contemporary Architects to redesign your space and make it more functional for everyone.    You Need More Space In......

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5 reasons to visit South Devon

We recently had the chance to explore South Devon, a destination that has been on our radar for a while and I wanted to see why it's such a great place for a family weekend away and in all honesty we were really spoilt for choice in terms of family friendly things to see and do. As we only had three nights in the area we wanted to make the most of our time without it being too much and thats really something one has to bare in mind when travelling with young children, you need to go at a slightly slower pace. We also wanted to explore as much of the outdoors as possible take in all that Devonshire countryside and coastline. I can safely say that South Devon is a great option for a quick getaway and here are 5 reasons why you should consider it for your next weekend break.  1. Powderham Castle Powderham Castle was around a 10 minute drive from our apartment at Cofton Holidays  and was one of the first places we decided to check out as it had come high......

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Cofton Holidays Devon - Family Travel Review

During the last weekend of summer we jumped into the car and headed down to Devon, a place we have passed through many times but haven't stopped to explore properly until now so we were really excited to discover what makes Devon such a popular family holiday destination. As we managed to see and do so much during our 4 days stay I have decided to spilt this across two posts with this one focusing on Cofton Holidays , a holiday park offering an array of accommodation from camping to cottages and stylish apartments right in the heart of South Devon After we got stuck in some pretty bad traffic around Bristol we were so happy to get off the motorway and drive through the pretty windy roads of Devon towards Cofton which is near the quaint seaside village of Dawlish. Checking in was a breeze and the staff were really helpful, handing over a welcome pack with all the information we needed and our park passes for the weekend. We were staying just off the main site at their newe......

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